Tonight we all will be getting a lesson from Russell Hogg. In anticipation of that, let me say that Russ knows his stuff. He’s an assistant instructor in classical French foil under Maestro Martinez. http://www.martinez-destreza.com/

Tonight Russ will be teaching us about takings of the steel (prises de fer): the bind (le liement), the (le) croisé, and the opposition (l’opposition). Be ready to pay attention because each of these is done in response to a specific action from our opponent. We need to learn to recognize when each action is appropriate. This will help us not only in seizing our enemy’s steel, but also in manipulating our enemy by giving the specific cue and then anticipating and defeating his/her attempted prise de fer.

For some of you, this will be a review of what we’ve been working on the past few weeks. For others, it will be your first introduction to les prises de fer. Either way, it will be useful and I’m looking forward to it.